"Rhys, I'm leaving in the morning, and Reid's coming with me."
I said it straight, no sugarcoating, standing in his room the night before. He just stared at me for a long second, jaw tight.
"Fine," he muttered. "I don't like it. But fine."
He didn't argue after that, but I could tell it was eating at him. I almost felt bad.
The next morning we left early, just minutes before Rhys headed out for the Crimson Assembly. I shut the passenger door and dropped into the driver's seat.
Reid threw his bag in the back seat and got in, clicking his seatbelt without looking at me.
"Ready?" I gave him a nod.
He nodded back. "Let's do this, boss."
I started the engine and checked the mirrors twice because my hands felt shaky. The tires crunched over gravel as I pulled away. In the rearview, I caught a glimpse of the main pack house.
Reid stayed quiet for the first fifteen minutes. I kept both hands on the wheel and tried not to overthink the silence.
